Sectional conveyer



'L. G. ZESBAUGH.

SECTIONAL CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2l,I92l.

1,427,890, PatentedSept. 5, 1922..

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVE/V TO/FL L. G ZESBAUQH.

' BY Wm W A T TOR/V5 Y8,

L. G. ZESBAUGH sEcTlo APPLlCATlON FILED APR. 21,1921.

NAL CONVEYER.

Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR. LQZESBAUQH,

L. e. ZESBAUGH.

SECTIONAL CONVEYER.

v APPLICATION FILED APILZMIQZI. 1,427,899.

L. G. ZESBAUGH.

SECTIONAL CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I,19ZI.

Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

1,427,890. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

58 6o hm 2 6 8 A T TORNE Y5.

Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

nawnnn'on o.

ZESBAUGH, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO WASHBURN- CROSBY COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNFSOTA.

. SECTIONAL CONVEYEB.

Application filed Apri121, 1921. Serial No. 463,276.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE G. ZES' BAUGH, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have in- .vented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sectional conveyers, and particularly to portable conveyers for use in loading sacks of flour into cars, although such conveyers may obviously be used for conveying other articles. An object is to provide a conve er made up of sections in such, manner t at any desired number may be readily attached end to end according to the distance over which the articles are to be conveyed. Another object is to provide a conveyer of this kind in which driving means is supported on the first or front section so as to drive an endless conveyer belt carried thereby, and in which driving connection with conveyor belts of successive sections is established by the act of connecting together the conveyor sections. In loading sacks of flour into cars, the-sacks are conveyed from the mill to loading platforms, and there are frequently a number of tracks running along in parallel arrangement adjacent the platform. The sacks of flour conveyed from the mill are deposited by a conveyer system in the first one of the conveyor sections for delivery into the cars, and a greater or lesser number of these sections will be required according to which track thecar to be loaded is standing on.

he full objects and advantages will appear in connection with the detailed descriptio'n, and the novel features embodied in my inventive idea will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the application of my invention in one form,Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the front section of my conveyor. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of two at-v tached sections. Fig. 3 is a partialside elevational view of the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View. Fig. )5 is a view in cross section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 8., Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in sectionon the line 6-6 of Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a View in cross section on the line 7-7 of Fig, 2. Fig.

8 is a view in section 'on the line 8-8 of F1g.-- 5. Fi 9 is a view in section on the line 99 0 Fig. 8.

7 Referring to the particular construction shown in the drawings, the front section comprises a frame having a pairof front legs 10, a pair of rear legs 12, diagonal brace rods 14 connecting the tops and bottoms of the front and rear legs, and longitudinal bars 16 connecting the front and rear legs at their lower ends. The lower ends of the two front legs are provided with rollers 18 and are connected by a support 20 upon which is mounted driving means such as an electric motor 22 on the shaft of which is secured a pulley 24 around which passes a belt 26 which also passes around a pulley 28 secured to a shaft 30 which extends through a pipe 32. This pipe extends through the sleeve-like ends of brackets 34 attached to the upper longitudinal side member 36 of the frame, and also extends through the sleevelike ends of brackets 38 attached to a longitudinal angle member 40 of a superstructure as best shown in Fi 7. Secured to the rear end of the shaft 30 1s a spiral gear 42 which meshes with a spiral gear 44 in a gear, case 46. The gear 44 is secured to a trunnion 47 of a roller 48 and this trunnion is mounted in a bearing 49 connected with the ear case while the opposite end of this ro er has a trunnion 50 mounted in a bearing 52, as shown in Fig. 5. An endless conveyor belt 54 asses around the roller 48 and around a rol er 56 at the front of the conveyer section, this latter roller being supported by bearings carried by the longitudinal angle member 40 and by a correspondin longitudinal angle member 58 which a so constitutes part of the superstructure. The angle member 40 is supported from the pipe 32 by the brackets 38 as already described, and the angle member 58 is similarly supported at the other side of the frame by brackets 60 and by a pipe 62 which passes through the sleevelike ends of the brackets. The pipe 62 does not contain a shaft as does the pipe 32 but is supported in similar manner from a longitudinal frame member 64 by brackets 66. Transverse bars 68 secured to the longitudinal angle members 40 and 58 of the superstructure serve to support a board 70 upon which the upper stretch of the belt 54 travels as best shown in Figs. 4 and 7. Angle brackets 72 are secured to the longitudinal members 40 and 58 and secured to these brackets are side boards 74 which prevent the sacks or other articles which are carried by the belt 54'from dropping off the sides thereof. Another conveyer section is adapted to be connected with the one already described, and to be driven'by the same driving means. This second conveyer section has a frame which is supported by a pair of rear legs 76 secured to the longitudinal frame members 78 and 80. Secured to the member 78 are brackets 82 in the sleevelike ends of which a pipe 84 is mounted, and this pipe is also mounted in the sleevelike ends of brackets 86 secured to a longitudinal member 88 of a superstructure. A shaft 90 extends through the pipe 84 and the front end of this shaft is reduced and squared as indicated at 92 so as to fit into a square opening in the hub 94 of the spiral gear 42 and be driven from the shaft 30 of the front section. The superstructure of the second section is similar to that of the first section, and the longitudinal members 88 and 96 carry a front roller 98 and a rear roller driven by spiral gears in the same manner as the roller 48 of the front section, these gears being contained in a gear case 100. An endless belt 102 passes over the rollers of the second section, and the upper stretch of this belt is supported by a board 104 secured to the members 88 and 96 in a manner similar to that in which the board is secured. Also secured to the members 88 and 96 are side boards 106 secured in place by brackets 108. The front end of the second conveyer section is not supported by legs but is attachable to the front or first section in the following manner as best shown in Figs. 4 and 9. Secured to the frame members 78 and 80 are resilient strips 110, the free ends of which are adapted to extend past the ends of the members 36' and 64 and which have holes adapted to receive pins 112 secured to the ends of the latter members. Each strip 110 is provided with a stud 114 secured thereto intermediate its length, and by means of which the strips may be forced inwardly in order to remove the opening in the end thereof from the pin 112 or to permit engagement with the pin. This construction serves to hold the two sections together in alinement with each other, and in order to support the weight of the front end of the second section, the two corners of each end are provided with flanges 116 adapted to rest upon the longitudinal angle members 36 and 64. A plurality of conveyer sections similar to the second section just described may be attached together one after the other according to the distance over which it is desired to convey the sacks of flour or other articles.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be obvious from the foregoing meaeeo description. For example, when sacks of flour'are to be loaded into cars, the front conveyer section will be placed in the proper position to receive the sacks as they are delivered by a conve er system which brings 70 them from the mill. he second conveyer section is attachedto the first, one by means of the resilient strips 110 and the otherwise unsupported end of the second section will he supported by the flanges 116 resting upon the longitudinal angle members of the first section. The square front end 92 of the shaft of the second section fits into the square opening in the hub 94 0f the spiral gear 42 which is secured upon the rear of the driving shaft of the front section so that the endless belts of both sections will be driven in unison. As is evident from Fig. 4, there is only a small gap between the endless belts so that the sacks will pass readily from one belt to the other. A third conveyer section, exactly like the second, may be attached thereto in the same manner and further similar sections may be added as required according to the distance of the car which is to be loaded from the platform. The sections are of such size as to be readily portable and the front end of the first section which carries the motor is preferably provided with rollers at the .lower ends of the legs so that this section may be readily moved. Since the motor is mounted on the front section, the conveyer consisting of as many sections as are necessary may be placed in the proper position and the conveyer belts driven by starting the motor. In case an electric motor is used, simple plug connections provide for driving the motor regardless of changes in position of the conveyer.

I claim:

1. A conveyer comprising a plurality of sections, supporting legs for both ends of one of said sections, a transverse support connecting the legs at one end of said section, amotor mounted on said support, supporting legs for the rear end only of the other of said sections, means for securing the sections together, longitudinal shafts mounted on the sections respectively, means whereby said shafts are coupled when said sections are secured together, driving connections between said motor and the shaft carried by the first mentioned section, endless conveyer belts carried by said sections, 120 and means for driving said belts from said shafts.

2. A conveyer comprising a plurality of sections, supporting legs for both ends of one of said sections, a transverse support connecting the legs at one end of said section, a motor mounted on said support, supporting legs for the rear end only ofthe other of said sections, flanges secured to one end of the sections for resting upon the frame of 1 9 the adjacent section, means for detachably securing the sections together in alinement with each other, longitudinal shafts mounted on the sections respectively, means whereby said shafts are coupled when said sections are secured together, driving connections upon said motor and the shaft carried by the first mentioned sectlion, endless conveyer belts carried by said sections, and means for driving said belts fromsaid shafts.

.3. A conveyer section comprising a frame I having longitudinal side members, sleeve members attached to said side members, a superstructure positioned above said longitudinal members, sleeve members along the sides of said superstructure disposed in alinement with said first mentioned sleeve members, pipes extending through said alined sleeve members at both sides of said conveyer, a shaft extending through one of said pipes, an endless belt mounted on said superstructure, means for driving said belt from said shaft, and means whereby said shaft may be coupled to the shaft of an adjacent conveyer section.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

LAWRENCE e. ZESBAUGH. 

